Levels of Dioxin-like PCB Congeners in Adipose Tissue of Turkish Men
İsmet ÇOK*^,°, Menekşe Keski DÖNMEZ*, M. Hakan SATIROĞLU**, Batu AYDINURAZ***, Cihan KABUKÇU***, Bernhard HENKELMANN****, Jarmila KOTALIK****, Karl-Werner SCHRAMM****
* Gazi University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology, 06330 Hipodrom, Ankara, Turkey
** Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 06590 Cebeci, Ankara, Turkey
*** Satiroglu Clinic, Women’s Health, IVF & Reproductive Biotechnology, 8.Cadde, No:11, 06600, Birlik Mahallesi, Ankara, Turkey
**** GSF – National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Ecological Chemistry, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany 

^oCorresponding Author

Summary

During the twentieth century, production and use of toxic chemicals have increased rapidly and thousands of chemicals have been introduced into the environment. Among them, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners have received considerable attention in the last few decades because of their extreme persistence, bioaccumulation and toxic potential. A number of PCBs show "dioxin-like" toxicity. These PCBs are assigned with a Toxic Equivalency Factor (TEF) that relates their toxicity to that of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and are to be evaluated as dioxins. The levels of dioxin-like PCBs were determined in 45 Turkish men living in Ankara, Turkey during 2004-2005. Samples were analyzed for WHO-12 congeners (non-ortho: 77, 81, 126, 169 and mono-ortho: 105, 114, 118, 123, 156, 157, 167 and 189) using high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Concentrations of Toxicity Equivalents (TEQs) in males were found between 1.1 and 16.4 pg/g fat wt in this study. The results suggest that human background contamination by dioxin-like PCBs is lower than that generally found in industrialized countries.

Key Words :
HRGC/HRMS, dioxin-like PCBs, adipose tissue.